Filmmakers

The crew of Ola

matthew nagato

WRITER / PRODUCER / DIRECTOR

Born and raised in rural Waimanalo on the island of O‘ahu, Matthew spent many years dreaming of ways to escape small town hardship, only to realize that he’d spend the rest of his life trying to recapture the magic of his wonder years. He’s worked in Hawai‘i’s healthcare industry since 1987, most recently devoting his energies to creating thriving, healthy communities.

He speaks regularly at health care conferences and to medical organizations on system transformation, health care reform, and innovation. In 2013, he was an invited speaker at the TEDx Honolulu event "Cultivating Community."

JEREMY SNELL

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY / EDITOR

Jeremy is a devoted cinephile whose photography, cinematography, and filmmaking have been recognized and praised worldwide. He was born in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, and spent his childhood living and traveling throughout Asia.

Jeremy’s cinematography work includes numerous commercial, nonprofit, and personal projects. His most recent projects for Charity Water and Mark Zuckerberg's Internet.org project have taken him to Nepal, India, and Kenya.

When he’s not working, Jeremy travels the world with his camera, capturing humanity through portraiture.

kara henderson

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Kara is a proud member of the Hāna community whose directing, cinematography, producing, and editing work demonstrate her diverse skills as a passionate filmmaker. Her powerful and emotional work includes films from The Life I Choose series on addiction, and short films about the Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike program.

stacey hayashi

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Stacey is a former software engineer whose entrepreneurial instincts have lead to a series of successful business enterprises, including her ongoing project to document the heroism and valor of the famed 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Her manga, “Journey of Heroes,” forms the basis for her upcoming miniseries on the famed Go For Broke soldiers from Hawai‘i.

ross okamura

RERECORDING MIXER

Ross has worked on numerous Hawai‘i feature, short and documentary films over the past 26 years. His credits include Paradise Broken, Moonglow, and the documentaries Those Who Came Before, Keepers Of The Flame, Journey of Honor, and Eddie Kamae’s Sons Of Hawai‘i. Ross was born and raised in Hilo and is the president of the audio post-production studios Audio Bytes in Honolulu.

SCOTT NAAUAO

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR

Born and raised in Kane‘ohe on the island of O‘ahu, Scott Na‘auao is a senior designer, art director and animator at Wall-to-Wall Studios with seven years working experience in building brands, creating ad campaigns, designing websites and print collateral, and producing motion graphics for commercials and films.